Maryland driver ignores signs, plunges car into sinkhole

CLINTON, Md. — A Maryland driver who ignored warning signs found himself in a big hole Wednesday.

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The driver escaped from his vehicle after it fell into a large sinkhole in Clinton, The Washington Post reported.

Officials in Prince George’s County said part of the road had been closed at about 4:30 a.m. EDT while a work crew repaired a 30-inch water main in the area, the newspaper reported.

The water main break created the large sinkhole, and crews with the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission set up cones and barriers around it, WRC-TV reported.

However, the driver apparently ignored the warnings and drove around the barriers, plunging his vehicle into the large pit, according to the Post.

Luis Maya, a spokesman for the WSSC, told the newspaper that the sinkhole was between 8- and 12-feet wide, “plenty deep to cover the vehicle.”

“He drove through the cones and closed-off zone, and then when he realized it, (it) was too late,” Maya said.

The driver sustained minor injuries, WJLA reported. He was able to scramble out of the vehicle on his own, WSSC officials told WRC. He was taken to a hospital at about 6:15 a.m. EDT, the television station reported.

A WSSC spokesperson told WRC that drivers should avoid the area.

“We don’t want something like this to happen,” the spokesperson told the television station. “So we have the cones out there. They’re bright. We want you to stay safe, so respect the work zone.”

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